Dear Forcey Bible Church Family,

 

I woke up this morning wanting to “change the channel.” I know I am not alone in feeling overwhelmed by the brokenness of our world and the realities of evil. I also know that, from a biblical perspective, the channel has needed changing for a long time.

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, we have turned against one another with evil in our hearts. Created in the image of God, we have distorted that image by exploiting the vulnerable and mistreating our neighbors. Every section of the Bible addresses injustice: the historical books, the poetic books, the prophets, the gospels, and the epistles of the New Testament. And in every chapter of human history, God has called upon His people to lament injustice, long for righteousness, and look for ways to make a difference.

Of course, in our day, there are many kinds of injustice that grieve the heart of God: abortion, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, exclusion of people who are differently abled, and the list goes on. But at this hour, the Lord is allowing us to consider injustices related to racial discrimination and the mistreatment of those who have historically been more vulnerable because of the color of their skin.

So, what can we do today that would honor the Lord as we respond to the injustice of racial discrimination? Let me suggest some things:

1. 1. 1. We should pray fervently, asking God to act on the behalf of the vulnerable. Psalm 10:12 – “Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up your hand! Forget not the afflicted!”
      2. We should get to know each other more! The Lord has “destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” so that we are “fellow citizens” and “members of his household” (Ephesians 2:14-19). This would be a great time to call someone from a different background than you, share thoughts and feelings together, and pray together.
      3. We should “weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15). Many of our brothers and sisters are hurting, fearful, angry, and discouraged. We should feel those emotions together and grow in empathy for each other.
      4. We should humbly invite the Lord to search our hearts for any sinful attitudes. We should not presume we are above certain sins, and we should repent of anything that falls short of God’s holy standard. Psalm 139:23–24 — “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
      5. We should call out injustice when we see it and should do good, acting in ways that demonstrate contempt for evil, love toward neighbors, and mercy toward the afflicted. Isaiah 1:16–17 — “Wash yourselves! Make yourselves clean! Remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes! Cease to do evil, learn to do good! Seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.”
      6. When we have been hurt by wrongdoing, we should “repay evil with blessing” (1 Peter 3:9) and “entrust ourselves to Him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23), even while longing for the day when King Jesus will fully deal with evil and establish everlasting righteousness (Isaiah 9:7).
      7. We should share “the message of reconciliation,” the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that people might be reconciled to God and one another through our “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:16-21)!

The issues that have led to the current unrest in our country are complex. I don’t pretend to have all the answers or even to fully understand my own heart as it relates to these things. But I do know that as a child of God, the Lord requires me to “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8). Will you join me in trying to do these things, for the glory of God?

 

With you and for you because of Jesus,

Pastor Michael Foster